should be, is supposed to be

はずだ states a confident expectation based on logic or known facts: given what I know, this should be true. It follows plain forms, with な after na-adjectives and の after nouns. The negative はずがない means it cannot possibly be the case.

Examples

• 会議かいぎは二に時じに終おわるはずです。

  Kaigi wa niji ni owaru hazu desu.

  The meeting should end at two.

• 彼かれは昨日きのうメールを送おくったはずです。

  Kare wa kinou meeru o okutta hazu desu.

  He should have sent the email yesterday.

Vocabulary in these examples

• 会議 meeting, conference
• 二 two
• 時 time; when
• 終わる to end
• 彼 he, him
• 昨日 yesterday

Related patterns · Appearance, hearsay, and conjecture

• 〜そうだ（様態） looks like, seems about to
• 〜そうだ（伝聞） I heard that, they say that
• 〜ようだ it seems that, it appears that
• 〜らしい apparently, it seems (based on what one heard)
• 〜みたいだ seems like, looks like, is like
• 〜がる / 〜がっている to show signs of (another person's feeling)